Hey all! As most of you know, over-vaccination is an important topic to me. Just today I received word from one of my best friends & county board members about a proposed amendment that would affect our county's rabies registration laws and maybe even eliminate registration entirely! I'll have a chance to speak directly to the Pubilc Works department in a few weeks; meanwhile they are in the process of gathering information. What I would really like to do is gather enough good sources together and send a well-written letter to each of the board members; of which I would address any questions etc. at the meeting. This is an opportunity I'm excited about but also SO nervous because while I enjoy narratives, I don't have a clue how to write an appropriately professional letter. Therefor I'm reaching out for any references, examples, etc. regarding why annual registration is unnecessary; any inspiring facts regarding rabies/titers (I'm happy I posted that thread earlier as I'll be sure to send out those 3 links for sure!) but more would like any help with how to whip up something professional and a good (but brief!) little presentation/speech. If anyone's ever done anything to this sort before please let me know. Hopefully some of my brilliant CP folks will be able to help! I can even send you the one-page amendment that is being proposed, to get a better understanding of their proposals and also how I could tweak it. I'm not prepared for this but certainly not gonna miss an opportunity! Thanks guys, if anyone is willing to help me out it would be very much appreciated and hopefully will make a difference and set an example for other counties!

Kat, look up info on the rabies challenge fund! That will help alot! It's a grass roots campaign that is gaining speed on getting these kinds of changes made. They should have all kinds of resources to help you.

The time for Wyoming to adopt a uniform, state-wide 3 year canine rabies immunization protocol conforming to the national standard is long overdue. Scientific data demonstrating a minimum duration of immunity for the canine rabies vaccine of 3 years by challenge and 7 years serologically was incorporated into the 2003 American Animal Hospital Association’s Canine Vaccine Guidelines more than 5 years ago.

Because the rabies vaccine is the most potent of the veterinary vaccines and associated with significant adverse reactions, it should not be given more often than is necessary to maintain immunity. Adverse reactions such as autoimmune diseases affecting the thyroid, joints, blood, eyes, skin, kidney, liver, bowel and central nervous system; anaphylactic shock; aggression; seizures; epilepsy; and fibrosarcomas at injection sites are linked to rabies vaccinations.

The rabies is a “killed” vaccine and contains adjuvants to enhance the immunological response. In 1999, the World Health Organization " classified veterinary vaccine adjuvants as Class III/IV carcinogens with Class IV being the highest risk," [1] and the results of a study published in the August 2003 Journal of Veterinary Medicine documenting fibrosarcomas at the presumed injection sites of rabies vaccines stated, “In both dogs and cats, the development of necrotizing panniculitis at sites of rabies vaccine administration was first observed by Hendrick & Dunagan (1992).” [2] According to the 2003 American Animal Hospital Association’s Canine Vaccine Guidelines, "...killed vaccines are much more likely to cause hypersensitivity reactions (e.g., immune-mediated disease)."

Many, if not all, annual rabies vaccines are the 3 year vaccine relabeled for annual use -- Colorado State University's Small Animal Vaccination Protocol for its veterinary teaching hospital states: “Even with rabies vaccines, the label may be misleading in that a three year duration of immunity product may also be labeled and sold as a one year duration of immunity product.” Wyoming city laws/ordinances requiring annual rabies boosters do not enhance an animal’s immunity and needlessly expose dogs to the risk of adverse reactions. The American Veterinary Medical Association's 2001 Principles of Vaccination state that “Unnecessary stimulation of the immune system does not result in enhanced disease resistance, and may increase the risk of adverse post-vaccination events.”

Of importance to policy makers is data indicating that compliance rates are no higher in states with annual rabies immunization requirements than in those with triennial protocols. A 2002 report compiled by the Banfield Corporation for the Texas Department of Health on rabies vaccination rates determined that a “comparison of the one-year states and the three-year states demonstrates no difference in the delinquency rates” and that, “A paucity of scientific data exists to demonstrate a clear public health benefit of a one-year vaccination protocol versus a three-year vaccination protocol.” [3]

The Center for Disease Control’s National Association of State Public Health Veterinarian's Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control 2007 recommends that: "Vaccines used in state and local rabies-control programs should have at least a 3-year minimum duration of immunity.” They state further that, “No laboratory or epidemiologic data exist to support the annual or biennial administration of 3- or 4-year vaccines following the initial series.”

Medical, epidemiological, and scientific data, as well as the recommendations of the Center for Disease Control’s National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians’ Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control 2007 and the American Animal Hospital Association’s Canine Vaccine Guidelines for 2003 and 2006 evidence the need for Wyoming to revise its state-wide rabies immunization requirements for dogs by adopting the national 3 year standard in all municipalities.

Perhaps Attorney General Salzburg’s department could issue a legal opinion on whether or not municipalities with annual rabies vaccination requirements are violating Wyoming’s consumer protection laws by mandating that dog owners pay for yearly veterinary procedures from which their animals derive no benefit.

I strongly urge you to conform all of the state’s rabies immunization requirements to the 3 year standard so that Wyoming dogs are no longer put at unnecessary risk of harmful side affects by being forced to receive medically unwarranted annual rabies boosters.

[1] IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans: Volume 74, World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Feb. 23-Mar. 2, 1999, p. 24, 305, 310.

[2] Fibrosarcomas at Presumed Sites of Injection in Dogs: Characteristics and Comparison with Non-vaccination Site Fibrosarcomas and Feline Post-vaccinal Fibrosarcomas; Journal of Veterinary Medicine, Series A August 2003, vol. 50, no. 6, pp. 286-291(6)

[3] The White Paper, Texas Department of Public Health, Zoonosis Control, Options for Rabies Vaccination of Dogs and Cats in Texas, 2002

__________________"Having heard all of this, you may choose to look the other way.....
but you can never say again that you did not know." William Wilberforce 1759-1833

WONDERFUL!! Perfect perfect perfect.. thank you Tracy SO much!!! This is exactly what I need. And Karen thank you also!! I'll definitely send you a review of the final letter for some input. I appreciate all your help!!!! <3 MWAH!!